


Trick or Triplets (A Heart Monitor one shot)

by ReneeDekobora2042



Category: No Straight Roads (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Go Grandpa go!, Kisses, Two parents being cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:55:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27301531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReneeDekobora2042/pseuds/ReneeDekobora2042
Summary: Every year, Neon J and 1010 trick or treat together with Mother and Yinu. This year however, something happens that means Neon J and Mother are left alone to themselves, leading to some hidden feelings coming out.
Relationships: Heart Monitor - Relationship, Neon J/Mother
Comments: 7
Kudos: 64





	Trick or Triplets (A Heart Monitor one shot)

Halloween. By far known as the spooky night of the year by many who take delight in dressing up and knocking on stranger’s doors to receive treats. It’s that one time of year that children can stay up late to wander the dark, jack ‘o’ lantern lit streets with little buckets and bags in their hands, waiting for the inevitable sugar rush to start. This was of no exception to the golden maestro of Vinyl City of course, who was walking with her Mother towards the Metro Division district to meet up with Neon J and 1010 at Barraca Mansion. Every year, Mother and Neon J would take Yinu and 1010 out trick or treating, the latter of which would normally go off on their own to prank people; they were adults, so not worrying about their safety was fine. But for the remaining three it was always a jovial time for them, with Mother and Neon talking all night about various things they had in common, and Yinu getting the chance to get some free sweets and candy, especially when she was never really allowed them any other time.

The Mother and daughter stepped past the boundaries into Metro Division. The district had been changed accordingly for the season with the lights relevant colours such as oranges and reds, walls being decorated with fake spider webs that strangely looked like the faces of 1010 members, and various skeletons darted about the place for all to see. There were already children walking around in their costumes; their faces painted and their buckets in hand, making Yinu giddy and excited to get started. She had her costume in a bag that she was gripping tightly in her hand. Yinu really enjoy her performance ensemble that she frequently wore, but it always bought her joy to have a chance to wear something else - costumes she loved more than anything. She couldn’t wait to see how 1010 were dressed this year.

They walked past the gates and onto the grounds of Barraca Mansion, the enormous building looming over them. They could already hear autotuned shouting coming from the inside, which didn’t surprise them at all; Neon J and his boys would typically be either singing or shouting whenever they would visit.

They knocked on the door to the mansion and pressed the doorbell, hearing the ringing from inside. After a moment of nothingness, Eloni opened the door to greet them. He was wearing a shabby DIY mummy outfit with bandages loosely wrapped around his body and his hair, and a look of embarrassment on his face. He saw Mother and Yinu were there and smile sweetly. “Oh, hey! Umm, things are a little chaotic right now, but you’re welcome to come in!” He stepped to the side and motioned with his arm for them to come in, which they did a little cautiously after the warning.

“Soldier! Stand down! We can’t get you ready if you’re uncooperative!”

“This isn’t the costume I agreed to!”

“Dude, you draw the short straw! Now stay still!”

It was certainly a sight to behold what they witnessed the moment the door behind them was closed. Purl-hew was running for his life with Neon J, Rin, Zimelu and Haym chasing behind him with various tools and equipment in their hands. They were climbing over furniture, jumping off stairs and just generally parkouring their way around the house in an attempt to get away from the group/ get a hold of Purl-hew. Eloni let out an embarrassed laugh, before turning to his guests. “We decided this year that we would draw straws for costumes. PH drew a headless horseman so we’re trying to rip his head off. Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t want to do that.”

As if on cue, Purl-hew was tripped up by Haym lunging for his leg, the blue bot falling to the ground with a thud. The rest of them quickly piled onto him to hold him down with Neon J taking action towards his head. They watched as Neon gripped the flathead screwdriver in his hands tightly, raising it above his head, then plunging it between the Purl-hew’s head and neck. With a flick of his wrist, he popped Purl-hew’s head off like a paint can, the head rolling away from his body and stopping when it bonked on one of the many couches they owned. Mother and Yinu heard an exasperated sigh come from the Purl-hew. Neon J and the rest of 1010 sighed too, before glancing up towards the door to see Mother and Yinu standing there. They quickly got to attention, saluting the two of them, Purl-hew still on the floor.

Neon spoke for the group. “Mother! Yinu! My apologies for the scene you just witnessed. We should have been ready for your arrival.” ♪Arrival♪

Mother giggled and dismissed him with a hand. “No no. It is okay.” She looked to her daughter. “I still have to get Yinu in her costume, so we were just as unprepared as you.” At the mention of the costume, Yinu lifted up her bag to show them. Mother continued. “Is it okay if we go into one of the bedrooms to change? We had a recital earlier today and haven’t had much time to get ready.”

The manager seemed hectic, but replied with, “Oh! Of course!” He turned to his men. “Rin! Show our guests to your room so they may prepare for tonight!” 

The white bot nodded his head firmly. “Yes sir!” Rin walked over to Mother and Yinu. “Shall we?” He asked them as he motioned towards some nearby stairs. They took off and up to the first floor of the building, past several rooms and down many corridors till they reached a grey door with the name ‘Rin’ on it. Rin turned the handle and held it open for the girls who thanked him as they entered. Yinu sat down on the double king-sized bed, placing her bag next to her and rummaging through it. After a pause, Rin spoke up. “I shall leave you to get ready. You’re more then welcome to use anything in here if you need it.” He smiled at Yinu. “I can’t wait to see what you’ve got this year, Yinu.” Rin winked at them, then left, closing the door behind him.

Yinu’s costume wasn’t exactly a difficult costume to get on nor was it complicated, so it didn’t take long before she was dressed up ready for trick or treating. While Mother was usually the one to decide Yinu’s costume, this year Yinu did it all by herself, and by her Mother’s heart-warming smile, she chose correctly. 

Yinu was dressed as a little orange pumpkin.

Mother bought a hand to her chest over her heart. “Yinu my dear, you look just adorable!” The compliment made Yinu giggle and run over to Mother, wrapping her arms around her. “Thank you, Mama!” She pulled away from the hug with a puzzled look. “Are you going to dress up?”

“Oh no, I do not have anything for myself.” Said Mother. She chuckled. “I think I am a little old to dress up anyway.”

Yinu placed her hands on her pumpkin hips. “That is ridiculous! I am sure you would make the best witch or devil or ghost!” In response, Mother placed a comforting hand on her head. “Thank you, Yinu, but I am most fine as I am now. What is most important is that you are having fun.”

After another hug, Mother held out her hand for Yinu to take, which she did, and the two of them grabbed their things and made their way back towards the group that was gathered downstairs. It sounded quieter now, so they could hope that things had calmed down from the little fiasco that they had walked in on earlier.

When they did arrive downstairs, they found that 1010 were chatting with each other, Purl-hew still very much annoyed and aggravated with his head on his bodies’ lap. It was almost a little disturbing for Yinu to see a decapitated Purl-hew, even if he was a robot. It was a clever costume idea at least, and the rest of the boys seemed to be praising the idea, mostly happy they weren’t in that position. Neon J was listening into the conversation on a nearby armchair that was clearly reserved for him only. He was messing with a pair of horns that looked like they could hook onto his monitor, but he was struggling to do so. He sighed and looked up to see Yinu and Mother standing there staring at him, then looked to Yinu in her costume.

“Yinu! You look fantastic! It suits you!” Neon said as he stood up and chucked the headgear onto the chair behind him. 

Yinu blushed. “Thank you, Mr J! But I think 1010 look better than me.”

The boys gave Yinu a look of disbelief at the comment, Haym filling in with, “Whaaaaaattt? No way! You look way better than we do!” The rest hummed a melodic agreement, earning a bigger blush from Yinu, the girl awkwardly rubbing her hands together and avoiding eye contact. 1010 normally said that she looked the best, but that didn’t mean that the compliment wasn’t embarrassing to take. It always boosted her confidence to have someone say something nice about her, especially when it was on something other than her piano skills.

Neon J clapped his hands together. “Right, are we ready then?”

Mother and Yinu nodded, but 1010 smirked, Zimelu walking over to Neon’s armchair and picking up the pair of horns. “You gotta get ready too, dad. Can’t have you looking out of place now, can we?” Neon J shook his head at the suggestion. “No no, it is quite alright. I do not need any new equipment on myself. Put them down.”

He didn’t put them down. In fact, the rest of 1010 stood up and gathered around their dad, ensuring to keep him steady. There was much protest from the manager, something about this “Being treason!” and “Against the code!”, but 1010 didn’t seem to care or really hear his cries as they attempted to keep him still. It was over quickly, the boys stepping aside to reveal Neon with the horns securely attached to his screen and a red cape to replace his usual one. His arms were folded, and he looked almost as unpleased as Purl-hew did. 1010 were pleased with their work, taking a step back and nodding in satisfaction at their work.

Neon sighed, but didn’t complain. “Right then… Now are we ready to go?”

1010 gave him a thumbs up, stifling chuckles at his appearance. The group gathered what they needed together and left into the night to join the ghosts and ghouls that roamed. Who knows what would happen on that Halloween night.

\-----------------------------------------------------

1010 had left the group by maybe an hour into the night. It wasn’t even like they given permission or announced their departure; they were there one minute, gone the next. It didn’t come as a surprise though; they did this most years and were probably torturing some poor souls with jump scare pranks elsewhere. For the victims of the hijinks, it normally starts out with them hating 1010 because of the scare, but then it usually quickly turns into the victim not minding at all because well… it’s 1010. The only reason they hadn’t gotten arrested for it was because of their popularity and status. If they were anyone else, they would have been doing community service for disturbing the peace or something by now. Neon J had already informed them that he wouldn’t bail them out if they did get arrested.

With 1010 gone, that left Yinu, Mother and Neon J. Yinu was happily skipping in front of the two adults, her little bucket swinging in her hand filled almost to the brim with candy and sweets. She was lucky unlike 1010 that most people either didn’t recognise her because of her niche audience or if they did, they didn’t fixate on her like the 1010 stans do. She could just spend the night enjoying herself with her Mother and Neon J, who seemed to be having as much fun judging by how they were talking with each other.

Mother and Neon’s conversations were mostly Neon talking about anything that came to mind, but Mother was happily listening to every word that he spoke. It came to a point in the night that they had lost track of Yinu because they were both so invested in their conversation and what the other had to say. They promptly found her of course – Yinu was smart enough to not go too far away – but even after the two of them vowed to pay attention, they couldn’t help but drift into their own worlds every so often.

After maybe the twenty something house, the three of them had crossed over into Natura to trick and treat some more. Natura was decorated just as relevant as Metro district was with ghosts hanging from trees, scary lights draped over the bushes and flora, and the colour of the water in the fountains being a red instead of it’s clear look. While the people of Natura were typically more stuck up and proper, status was something they cared about greatly, and they weren’t going to let Metro District top them in terms of decorations. Yinu didn’t care what the district looked like, as long as she could trick or treat.

With another ten houses down, the group eventually arrived upon Cadence park, a rather large green space located near the outskirts of the district. It looked very much like the other areas of Natura with foliage and flora silhouetting a cobblestone walkway that was tied together by an artistically designed fountain that had an eighth note in its centre. It was here they heard a click of some kind, Neon J tripping over himself but thankfully being caught by Mother before the fall.

“Oh my, Neon, are you okay?” Mother asked as she helped the cyborg with his balance.

Neon J let out a sound like he was hissing through his teeth as he stretched an arm down to touch his calf. “My status is mostly fine; however, I do appear to have some damage in my prosthetics, hence the fall.” He glanced up to Mother who had a look of worry. He placed a gentle hand over her own. “You have nothing to worry about. It is a minor problem. I suggest we locate somewhere that I may alleviate my leg so I may fix it.”

Mother thought for a moment, before she bought Neon J’s arm around her neck. “I believe there is somewhere we can rest here.” She assured him as she began to assist him with walking through the park. Yinu was already on the matter, saying, “Follow me! I know where there is a bench!” as she sped off down the path, looking back every so often to make sure they were following her. A short walk later and past some weeping willows, they arrived at a small out crop in the park, where a clear blue pond lay in front of an elegantly carved bench. Mother helped Neon to it and slowly placed him down onto the bench, ensuring he was securely sat on it so he wouldn’t fall over again. He thanked her and she took a seat alongside him.

Neon lifted his leg up to rest on his lap with a groan. After pressing some points on his calf, a panel opened to reveal the wiring and construction. When Mother glanced over, it seemed completely fine to her, but her thought was quickly swiped away by the cyborg tutting in disapproval. “Damn, looks like it’s not something I can fix by myself. I’ll need some tools to do it.” 

Mother raised an eyebrow at the comment. “So, I presume you are not going anywhere? I cannot have you sitting here alone if so.” Neon shook his head in response which caused Yinu’s face to fall.

“B-but… What about trick or treating?” She asked, her voice wobbling as sadness starting to filter in. “I can’t trick or treat if I don’t have anyone with me!”

The manager put his hands to calm the pianist. “It’s okay. I can contact 1010 to come to us. They can take you out trick or treating instead.” He checked through his servers and sent out a command message to the bots to rendezvous on his position. He received messages that read “Yes sir!” and “Roger!” in response, then checked their position on his system GPS. They were close, so Yinu wouldn’t have to wait long.

Neon sighed and bought his hand to his rub his temple. “I do apologise, Mother. I didn’t want to ruin tonight in any way. I know Yinu enjoys this night every year.” It earned a soft smile from Mother, “No, it’s okay. These things happen to people our age.” She said with a chuckle.

A moment of silence fell between them, but it was quickly punctuated by 1010 coming into the area clutching their bodies in laughter. “PH, do you see why the headless horseman was such a good idea now?” Rin asked the blue 1010 bot who had his head in his hand. Purl-hew shrugged; he refused to admit it, but at least the boys had fun pranking innocent children to scar them for life. They robots paused in front of the trio and looked at the situation, Eloni being the one to speak. “Oh no! Dad, are you hurt?” He rushed over to gently take Neon J’s leg into his hands. “Do you need anything? An icepack? Some coco? A friendly face to have around?”

“No, I’m fine, soldier.” Neon said, trying to pry the green bot off his leg. “You have another mission that is just as important and requires utmost attention.” At the mention, 1010 gathered in a line and saluted their boss. It was somewhat humorous to see them be so formal and proper in their costumes - a complete contrast between their actions and attire. “Troops, your mission is to take Yinu trick or treating. Unfortunately, myself and Mother are out of action.”

1010 seemed to deflate a little at the idea of responsibility, but complied to the order with, “Affirmative!”. Zimelu picked Yinu up and put her on his shoulders, Yinu giggling from the motion. With another salute, the boys set off into the night chanting “Treats! Treats! Treats!” and leaving Mother and Neon J alone in the calm of the park, all to themselves.

The two of them had a moment of solace with nothing but the sound of the swaying leaves in the night wind and the soothing water filling the air. It was a change from their constant conversations earlier, Mother and Neon J merely enjoying each other’s company. After a beat, Neon snickered. “You know, 1010 will probably drag Yinu into pranking other people. You should be careful when you get back home.”

Mother jested back, “Maybe if you disciplined your crew, you would not have an issue with them.”

Neon gasped in fake hurt. “I’ll have you know my boys have gone through rigorous training!” He blushed in embarrassment, avoiding eye contact from Mother. “It’s just… they developed mischievous personalities is all… I did not plan for that.”

They laughed together, their voices filtering into the surroundings. They were happy and content together in that moment, like nothing could spoil it. Once they had calmed down from their giggles, Mother placed a hand on Neon J’s arm and spoke in a soft voice.

“Neon, I want to thank you.”

The cyborg gave her a questionable look. “Whatever for?” He asked.

A warm blush appeared across her cheeks. “Well… for just letting me talk with you.” Her face fell to a frown. “I have not really had the chance to just talk with someone about more than just work or piano recitals in a long time. Or well since…” She paused then shook herself out of her head. “I always look forward to days like this.”

It didn’t take Neon long to figure out what she meant. It wasn’t exactly a secret that Yinu’s father had passed, and having experience with losing people he cared dearly about himself from his time in the war, he could imagine how she felt. It must have been isolating and heart breaking for her to go through it, especially when she had known her husband was dying and would eventually leave herself and Yinu.

“You don’t have to thank me for that. I’m more then happy to spend time with you and Yinu.” He placed a hand over Mother’s. “If you ever need me, you’re more than welcome to come visit; even when it’s not Halloween.”

Mother’s heart warmed at the comment as a stray tear trickled down her face. She caught herself and wiped it away, Neon looking at her with empathy and compassion. “Oh my, I am so sorry. I do not know what came over me.” She turned to look away from Neon in an attempt to cover up her emotion.

Neon lifted Mother’s face up to look at his own, her eyes damp with tears. “I’m sure he was an amazing person. I can imagine even now he’s still looking after you and Yinu. You deserve someone like that.”

Mother smirked. “Are you offering yourself for that?” She questioned. It took Neon aback, making his monitor glitch and causing him to stumble over his words. Even on his screen it was clear he was embarrassed. “I-I-I… No, I wasn’t- I mean, not really- I mean, unless you want me to- Ah, no, just ignore me. Word rambling haha- Hey, I wonder how Yinu is doing with 1010…”

Mother giggled; her frown replaced by a smile. She leant over and planted a kiss on the side of his monitor which made the cyborg start to overheat, warning messages appearing over his vision. She cupped the side of his head with her hand. “I think if anyone could be a good stepdad for Yinu, it would the man who is already like a father to her.”

The manager scratched the back of his head. “I…” He was speechless. Sure, he had felt a connection with Mother was a while; every time they talked or touched he would feel his heartbeat increase and his body warm, but he had never expected her to feel something similar, or even be open to someone new in her life. It took him a while to gather the words to say something. “If you’ll have me… I would be more then happy to be whatever you need me to be. For you and Yinu.”

She kissed his screen again – It wasn’t like he could properly kiss her back – and pulled Neon into a hug, resting her head on his shoulder. Neon wrapped his arms around her in response, squeezing her tight in his grasp. She needed someone for comfort, and he wasn’t about to let her go anytime soon.

“AHHHHHHHHHH! RUN!”

Their moment was ruined by the sound of children screaming in fear, followed by collection of laughter. They didn’t see what had happened, but they witnessed the aftermath with a group of kids running past their position and out of the park. It was later followed up by 1010 and Yinu emerging from some bushes. Yinu had Purl-hew’s head held above her own with Rin’s vampire cape wrapped around her body so it looked like she wasn’t there. It was as Neon J predicted: they had pulled her into their pranks.

Neon wasn’t mad at them, just disappointed. “Men, do you think you could be role models for Yinu for at least one Halloween?” It was met with snorts form the five of them, an indication that the idea of them being mature was ridiculous. Yinu backed them up though as she was placed down onto the ground by Zimelu and ran over to Mother and Neon.

“It was so much fun! First, we got lots of sweets from houses, then Haym suggested that we pull a prank on this group of kids, then we did and they were all like “AHHHHHH!” and ran off, and then I wanted to do it again because it was fun, so we did, and and-” 

Yinu was silenced by Mother picking her up and onto her lap, kissing her forehead. “I take it you had fun then?” Yinu nodded excitedly, as Eloni took Purl-hew from her in exchange for her bag of sweets that was filled to the brim by this point. She wanted to say more to the two adults, but was interrupted by a humongous yawn that led to her rubbing her eyes. It was getting late, and Yinu was only nine.

“Are you ready for bed, my little pumpkin?” Mother asked, earning a groan from her daughter, who responded with, “No… I just need to rest my eyes… I wanna play with 1010 more…”

Mother moved Yinu so she was cradled in her arms, being careful when standing up. “I think that is it for tonight.” She said to the boys who pouted from not being able to do anything more, but were complacent. Yinu was still determined to deny her tiredness. “Mama, I’m not sleepy. I wanna play with 1010…” She was failed by a yawn that came after her words.

Rin helped Neon J up from the bench, the dad groaning from the aching pain in his calf. Even through his pain, he turned to Mother and suggested, “If Yinu really wants to play with 1010, she can always come around tomorrow. We don’t have any plans or anything that we need to go to, so she could spend the whole day playing.” He blushed. “And… we can talk some more… only if you want to, of course.”

Yinu snuggled up in her Mother’s arms, Rin’s cape acting as a blanket for her. Mother kissed her daughter on the forehead again, before looking to Neon with a genuine and sincere smile that warmed the manager’s heart to see. 

“I would love to talk with you, Neon.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I found this a little difficult to write, so please tell me what you thought!  
> If you liked this and my writing, I have a main chapter fic going on called "The Road to Redemption" that is a sort of sequel to the main game. Please check it out!


End file.
